Customer Reviews

Moon Is Down

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have anticipated the release of "The Moon Is Down" for a long while now, as Tooth & Nail kept promising that it was "coming soon!" But now it is finally here, and I am not disappointed in the least. Driving guitars fuel this album from start to finish, as Chris Carrabba's unmistakeable voice rages above the music. It usually takes me about 5 listens before I can claim favorite tracks, but I'll be daring and let you know which ones stood out after the first two or three spins: "The Moon Is Down" (which begins with a sweet stereophonic effect of a plane taking off above your head), "The Bradley", "Monachetti", "New Year's Project", and "Pictures of Shorelines".

Unfortunately Chris Carrabba is no longer a part of FSF, but the band will continue to rock in his absence. Be sure to catch his new project, Dashboard Confessional; they have released two LPs and one EP, and their acoustic emo rock is beautiful.

I recommend this album to fans of the Juliana Theory, Dear Ephesus (geez I miss those boys), A New Found Glory, and the Get Up Kids.

I know, I know, chances are unless you are part of underground music circle you have never heard of this album. This Floridian band released their first full-length album The Moon is Down with Tooth and Nail Records. This Seattle-based record company is known for discovering bands such as MXPX and P.O.D. They are Christian company and represent bands of the same profession.
This album is a breath of fresh air from the mundane melodies that have filled our airwaves over the last couple of years. Further Seems Forever from the obscure genre known as emo (a limited definition of emo refers to a underground music genre which is basically "emotional rock", outpourings of the heart set to a rock beat). You can spot these "emo" kids by their shaggy haircuts and Goodwill tees. They're goal is to not be trendy which is now the trend. The music, however has not caught on like the clothes, but is a treasure to those who find it. The music scene has been looking rather thin lately, but Further Seems Forever with their complex and introspective lyrics bring us back to a lyrical quality that has been absent in recent years. I personally enjoyed the poetic value and their extensive vocabulary usage. The acoustics did not have to bring value to the words; they stand on their own. They incorporate Christian themes and their own testimonies in a very personal and authentic manner. Wow, breaking out of the Christian bubble! College kids this album might involuntarily broaden your vocabulary and your mind! Though lyrically obscure don't discount this band with verses like:
"This is unparalleled a grace that's like gravity, clarity I've never seen"
Their lyrics are not the only catchy guitar riffs will draw you in. There is no compromise of their musical integrity on any of the ten tracks on this album. Further Seems Forever, raw and unedited till the end. This album would fall in the ranks of Dashboard Confessional (this was Chris Carrabba's project before Dashboard), Juliana Theory, and Saves the Day.
I leave you with this: finding good music is like shopping at Goodwill, you have to dig through a lot of junk to find a treasure. But think of how more meaningful it is to find something of worth on your own and not have it spoon-fed to you. Try to not sell out to the commercialized music industry, think for yourself! You'll feel a lot better about yourself, and the fact that you didn't get sucked in to buying that Britney Spears album.

This cd is a proud addition to my cd collection. Most of the songs on it are very solid with innovative arrangements and guitar work. It seems like the drummer and guitarists are one entity they work together so well. The first three songs on this album are amazing. I got a chill when i heard the end of the third song, which is definately my favorite on the record. The reason for 4 stars is that a couple of the songs toward the end of the album just don't hold up to the awesomeness of the first few. They aren't bad, i guess they just spoil you at the beginning with awesome songs. Anyway, the lyrics are very good. They have depth without confusing you. I first heard chris carraba, the vocalist, from listening to his solo project dashboard confessional. i knew that i couldn't go wrong buying this cd if he was singing the songs. He has a very distinct voice that i like only second to chris conley. He has now left the band, but i've heard that their new singer is just as good. I've heard these guys described as "hardcore". When they say that, don't think that there is screaming throughout the record. That probably is the title that they best fit under though. They are too heavy for emo and nothing close to pop punk. So i would describe them as melodic hardcore without the screaming. This record is worth buying. And also get dashboard confessional. If you like thursday, cursive, cross my heart, and even saves the day, you will like this. Thanx for your time.

although a little underproduced and rough-cut compared to the other two FSF cds, you can still get so much of a sense of talent from these guys. it's a pity that chris carraba couldn't make another cd with them. while he isn't a very good singer technically, he makes up for it with his songwriting ability and his passion.

also for those who listen to dashboard stuff and like the lyrics, you'll probably like these even more. especially New Year's Project and The Bradley. killer lyrics.. very well delivered. musically there's a ton of crazy stuff that you'd only hear if you pay attention, like how in Montacetti has this crazy 6/8 groove, and how in the Bradley they switch meter from 5's to 6's. as seen in the other cd's, FSF's hooks and grooves are so ridiculously creative. you will enjoy this cd for both its poetry and its musicianship.

Further Seems Forever debut release "The Moon Is Down" is an amazing work of beautiful, emotional, dramatic music by a set of guys from South Florida. To call FSF 'emo' or something of that effect is downsizing this great band. This is a record where melodies combine with thoughtful and heartfelt lyrics. Chris Carabba (who everybody and their cousin knows that he is now in huge band-Dashboard Confessional) writes lyrics from personal expierence of hope, despair, insecurity, and love. The beautiful works of imagery of his native town in Florida is painted in "Snowbirds and Townies" and "Pictures of Shorelines". He even uses his spirtual experiences to craft the "Moon is Down" which holds amazing literary and biblical reflections and should encourage that hold true to their faith. "New Years Project" is also a very touching song lyrically and musically that gives a sense of dedication and love for another.
But it is not just Chris' lyrics that make this record work, the music is just amazing. The guitar work by Josh Colbert and Nick Dominguez is beautiful, somewhat technical, not overly distorted, melodic work where many non-power chord riffs are played dynamicaly with punk rock energy but also are present the gentleness displayed with melodic picking. Chad Neptune is constantly present with highly orginal bass riffs. But what really makes FSF is the amazing drum work by Steve Kleisath, who I believe is the best drummer right next to William Goldsmith (Sunny Day Real Estate).
Jason Gleason has come to fill in the ranks of Chris Carabba and from what ive seen at a FSF (if you can go see them live-you wont regret it) he is an amazing replacement, he brings so much life to the band. His singing is beautiful and passionate, and just as equally aggressive at times with emotional screams.
This is an amazing piece of work and you should definetly keep yourself posted on the next record, slated next year 2003!

I wouldn't necessarily call FSF's debut album "emo", either in the classic emo sense (Rites of Spring, Sunny Day, etc.), not in the nu-emo sense (Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, Thursday). Although it appeals to fans of the latter, this album was a forerunner of the nu-emo movement as a marketable force, so to count it amongst its droves would be disingenuous. If it was more noticed, it would redefined the entire genre. Maybe give it a decade. People will come around.

You hear hints of the fabulously melodic guitar work in some FSF members' former bands, Strongarm and Shai Hulud, two south Florida hardcore bands that were formidable in their own rights, advising the vegans and Christians to put a more acute sense of melody and incredibly profound lyrical introspection in the headstrong, brutal scene. It worked.

So now we have The Moon Is Down, their first and arguably best offering in their woefully truncated 4 release career. Kleisath's trickster drumming (untopped in indie rock) slithers sneakily around Dominguez's and Colbert's chordally-vague, tag team arpreggios, while Neptune's bass stabilizes the odd progessions. Carrabba's melodies are exceptional, but technically speaking his voice is mostly adequate, and in some spots shines through (see "Monechetti"). He does a better job with his pen, tackling the boy vs. girl dichotomy, the subject of 80% of the tracks, a little more seriously and with more depth than the band's generic progenies.

Not technical in the guitar virtuouso sense, but in the great songcrafter sense. Technical virtuousity should be a means to an end, but some musicians propound the converse of such as a means to feel artistically superior. The masses want something different, and we get it with TMID.

I have been listening to FSF since 2000... this album has NEVER lost replay value. New Year's Project is quite possibly one of the most emotionally meaningful songs I have ever listened to. Lyrics, music, tempo, the guitars grinding perfectly in time with each other; even Chris adds something a lot of other vocalists couldn't. Though Project is my favorite song, these characteristics are at their best on EVERY SINGLE track on this album.

Though it is just my own personal experiences that I can relate to some of the songs, I can almost guarantee that you will find something to relate to on this cd. Even if you don't, they express their feelings through music so well that you almost feel you are experiencing what they are singing about, it's scary.

IMO there are two bands - Further Seems Forever:The Moon is Down, and Further Seems Forever. This is not to say that you shouldn't check out their other cds, I enjoyed How To Start A Fire well enough.


1. Moon is Down (8/10) - My only little qualm about this album is the opening track... I don't really understand what they're trying to get across. But again, powerful music.
2. Bradley (10/10) - Fantastic song with a tingling guitar progression during the chorus that just lifts you up.
3. Snowbirds and Townies (9/10) - To someone with a girlfriend far away...
4. Monachetti (10/10) - Pure anguish. Great ending.
5. Madison Prep (10/10) - There are a lot of songs about lying, but this may be one of the best ever written.
6. New Year's Project (N/A) - I can't rate this song, you just have to listen to it.
7. Just Until Sundown (11/10) - For anyone who has left someone leaving for college.
8. Pictures of Shorelines (9/10) - The song is good, but I love the bridge before the ending.
9. Wearing Thin (10/10) - Fantastic chorus, I wish I could say this to my girl with the emotion he sings it with.
10. New Desert Life (9/10) - A great song, not the best album close-out ever though.

I have never rated an album 5 stars, there is always a song or two that I don't like or some lyrics that are dumb, but this album is raw power and pure genius.

I was a big fan of Dashboard Confessionals long before I ever stumbled upon FSF. I actaully bought their second album (with jason gleason on vocals) first knowing nothing of them other then hearing their name once through a friend. I thought they had a very original sound and decided that I would check out something else they had done. That's when I found this odd pink cd with a jet on it, "The Moon Is Down". I remember putting the cd in while I was on my lunch break and almost jumping up and scaring my friends at the point I realized that Chris Carrabba was singing with them. After that, I really didn't expect it to be anything other than an ordinary freshman album like most artists have before they find the band they "hit it big" with. So going in to it not having high expectations almost made it that much more rewarding. Not only is this a cd that could stand up with later Carrabba material, I might even go as far as to say that this might be my favorite of all. Further Seems Forever have energy and percision that most progressive bands lack, everything blends together perfectly. And I guess it's evident now that we may never get to see Chris' development from punk kid to lyrical genius, because this cd certainly doesn't showcase it. His lyrical intensity is right on par with "Swiss Army, and The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most." And though I wouldn't have believed it without hearing it first, his voice actually sounds good with a heavier band behind it. Not only does the music not drown him out, but his voice carry's through the climaxes of the songs. There's so many passionate parts of these songs that give me goosebumps every time I hear them. After I listened to it the 205th time in the first few days, I realized that this cd would soon become just another addition to my large grave yard of played out cd's, but my friends, after a year and a half this still has yet to happen. If you like Dashboard, I would definintly recomend checking this out. But don't expect to many similaritys in the actual music. Carrabba is what links these two bands together, and with everything he's done so far, he's never failed to amaze me yet.

This CD was recommended to me by Amazon.com, so after listening to some of the sound clips of the tracks I decided to buy it. The thing is though, the clips are either the best part of the song or the whole song sounds just like the clip (and therfore comes off sounding very monotinous). During my first listening of this CD, I was doing other stuff and just heard it as background music, and the whole CD just sounded the same. It wasn't until I sat down and listened to the CD just to listen to it, that the details and the lyrics started to come through and I began to like the CD more. The details and lyrics ARE good. I listen to Juliana Theory, The Ataris, SR71, Useless I.D., Goldfinger, Everclear, and lots of other vocal rock, emo, punk, and ska. This CD fits in pretty well in the Rock column. I suggest this CD, but it takes a few listenings to really like it. It could probably be used for some good compilations CDs.

Overall an extremely well made CD. The first song I heard was the first track on the CD titled "The Moon Is Down" and I knew I had to buy this CD. The lead singer, Chris Carrabba(now known as Dashboard Confessional), shows so much emotion and depth in his voice in each song.The first three tracks will definitely pull you into this CD. If you love the sultry emotional sounds of Chris Carrabba's voice with Dashboard Confessional and the riffs of Thursday, you will definitely like this album and I strongly recommend buying it!!

1)The Moon Is Down-10/10 one of the best songs on the CD.Great way to start this album.

2)The Bradley-9/10 great song, is connected musically to track 1.

3)Snowbirds and Townies-9/10 a softer type of song, a little slower, but a good track.

4)Monachetti-10/10 kind of heart broken song, great song, love the loud elements of his voce in this song.

5)Madison Prep-8/10 another upbeat track on the album, have nothing bad to say about it!

6)New Year's Project-10/10 Romantic! A kind of "I'll give you everything to make you happy" kind of feel. GREAT guitar riffs! Great Lyrics!

7)Just Until Sundown-8/10 another lovey dovey, kind of apologetic song, but definitely good. good lyrics.

8)Pictures of Shorelines-9/10 A song that definitely picks up the album a bit. when it first plays right after track 7, you might jump a little :).

9)Wearing Thin-8/10 Angry/sad love-struck song. great for listening to after a break-up.

10)A New Desert Life-8/10 a pretty good outro to the album but not the best. good song, pretty emotionally sad undertones.

~*~*Be sure to let the last track play out for some extra, but unnecessary listening.